Abnegation's whipping boy
by Koala Penguin
Summary: Caleb Prior had witnessed Tobias Eaton's abuse and it shaped who he was. In Erudite Caleb was forced to betray his sister but it was a choice no-one should have to make. The life of your own sister over hundreds. He now realised he was Abnegation born and bred.


Andrew Prior had gone to Marcus Eaton for guidance. He relied on his leader to show him the way in most things. His son, Caleb Prior had been reading too many books and it was beginning to concern him. He could not lose Caleb to Erudite. He would not have Caleb indulge in the evilness that existed there, a thirst for knowledge overruling the goodness in the heart. How could he prevent this?

Marcus told Andrew that it was his duty to discipline his son. To teach him from right and wrong. To teach him a lesson. But how? Marcus had been ready and willing to show him how. It was then that Andrew learnt that corporal punishment was approved of in Abnegation because Marcus Eaton, their esteemed leader, approved of it.

Andrew brought Caleb to Marcus' house. Caleb was nervous. He didn't know why he was going to their leader's house but he knew it couldn't be good. He hated how Beatrice got away with everything and he didn't. He was always being reprimanded by his father for one reason or other though it was mainly for reading. But Beatrice could slyly look at the back of a spoon to see her reflection or run down the street like the wild Dauntless. But what did Caleb expect? Like all things in Abnegation, men and women, boys and girls were treated differently. Women took care of the home while men worked. Women could not vote in leaders. Girls and boys had separate classes. Boys studied mechanics but girls did home economics. Boys were punished by their fathers. Mothers doted on their daughters. The list went on.

Marcus warmly greeted Andrew and Caleb. He then called his son Tobias Eaton to the living room. Tobias knew why he was being called by the cold hard man that was his father. Normally Tobias was an embarrassment, a disappointment, which had to be hidden from his father's acquaintances. So when he was being called to meet his father's acquaintances it was to be made an example of. An example on how to discipline a boy. He wasn't worth attention unless it was this. Tobias fearfully went down the stairs. He had to face this.

"Sir" Tobias made himself known.

"Get into the position, boy. Remember to keep count." Marcus reminded Tobias. But Tobias did not need reminding. He knew the process of cleansing his soul well.

"Please... Sir..." Tobias' voice croaked as he tried to bravely prevent another beating through daring to open his mouth and objecting. Caleb thought that Tobias was trying to ask why he was being punished.

Marcus backhanded Tobias and despite the force Tobias remained standing. Andrew suddenly understood why Tobias frequently exhibited bruises on his face and why Tobias' weak lies were accepted. Corporal punishment was acceptable in this faction but not spoken about. But when did corporal punishment tip into abuse?

"Stop trying my patience." Marcus snapped. "This is for your own good. You know what you are. Self-indulgent. Self-centred. Self-regarding. Selfish. Caleb Prior needs to know what happens to boys who are self-interested and you will do the selfless thing of showing him. Would you rather have Caleb in your position?"

"No sir." Tobias responded promptly.

"Then remove your shirt." Marcus ordered tersely.

Tobias nodded his head. There was no escaping the inevitable. Tobias took off his shirt, carefully folded it and placed it on the table. His movements were slow. He was trying to give himself time to prepare.

Caleb saw Tobias' already inflamed raw bruised back. Now Caleb realised that Tobias was trying to ask his father to spare him since he was already hurt. Was it self-pitying to do so? Caleb wondered how Tobias would be able to take another beating on top of the one he had already received.

Tobias placed his hands on the wall and waited for the sound of his father's belt being taken off. He hated that sound. It tormented him. Just like the sound of his father's footsteps did when he came home from work.

"Marcus I think Tobias can be forgiven today. Caleb understands enough." Andrew softly tried to intervene like others had before him but no-one in his faction would fully stand up to their leader. "Please."

Marcus then turned to Andrew and repeated the words he used before. "It pains a father to have to discipline his son. But we would be doing more harm if we allowed our sons to continue in the error of their ways. If they feel no pain they would think they have got away with it. They will keep going forwards with a wicked heart. Taking the easy route. My son is selfish but I have taken every measure to correct that. I will do so again because it is the selfless thing to do."

Marcus lifted the belt high and brought it down hard on Tobias' back. Tobias felt the almighty bite of the belt on his back again. He clenched his fists and bit the inner side of his mouth trying to bite back the pain.

"What do you say boy?" Marcus' blunt voice broke through Tobias' mind which was filled with pain and brought him back down-to-earth.

"One, sir. Thank you for chastising me." Tobias' voice was now steady.

Marcus again lifted the belt and struck Tobias with full-force.

"Two, sir. Thank you for chastising me." Tobias voice was monotonous. He was now in auto-pilot.

Caleb watched the scene in shock and revulsion. It was obvious that this scene was routine for both of them. Caleb didn't know how Tobias could stand it and doubted that this was the first time Tobias had been publicly flogged and humiliated. How many times had Tobias been used like this? Beaten for another's behaviour. Caleb wished his father would bring this to a stop. Did his father think this was right? His mother would've protected Tobias. Beatrice would've demanded that Tobias wasn't hurt anymore.

Caleb tried to look away. He couldn't handle the pain of watching someone get merciless hurt.

"Caleb keep watching. This is for you to learn. I'll repeat the lash every time you look away" Marcus told him. Caleb began to watch again and he had to shut down his feelings of compassion do it. There was no way Marcus would allow him to take Tobias' place and Tobias probably wouldn't want it. So the selfless thing to do was try and watch so that Tobias wasn't beaten for him failing to do so. Caleb learnt from Marcus that day to be cold and unfeeling.

After two dozen lashes were laid on Tobias' back Marcus finally stopped. Marcus wiped the sweat off his brow and ordered "Turn around, boy."

For a split second Caleb would've sworn he saw a gleam of defiance in Tobias' eyes as he turned around. Tobias again had taken a beating stoically. Tobias had been sure that his father wanted to hear his pleas and screams but at the same time wanted to punish him for the selfish outburst - like a cry of pain was protesting at swift just punishment. It had taken years for Tobias to find the strength not to cry out, to not show that he was weak and broken.

"I didn't raise my son to be impolite. Perhaps you need another lesson." Marcus again struck Tobias with the back of his hand. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Thank you for being selfless sir and exerting the effort to correct me." Tobias recited what he had been taught many years ago. Tobias then shook his father's hand before slowly putting his shirt back on.

After watching the scene play out, Caleb knew then he couldn't be Tobias. Quietly defiant. Caleb would hide his books and be the perfect Abnegation son. He would be smart and not brave, not selfless - he would be himself.

Andrew was stunned at what he had witnessed. Was this how boys were really raised in Abnegation? It was not the Erudite way. In Erudite, children were punished through writing out lines or for older children writing an essay on morality. Andrew knew he couldn't beat Caleb but Caleb didn't.

"Caleb, I hope that you have learnt from today. Be selfless Caleb. Don't be like my son. Don't be self-absorbed. Don't disappoint or shame your father." Marcus said with a kind paternal smile.

Caleb nodded but looked at Tobias. Marcus' words seemed to hurt Tobias more than his belt but the emotion was carefully locked down.

"We better get going. Natalie would be wondering where we are." Andrew hoarsely excused himself from Marcus' presence. "See you tomorrow Marcus."

"See you tomorrow, Andrew." Marcus shook Andrew's hand.

Andrew could see that Marcus had no remorse or guilt for what he had just done to his son. It must've been just corporal punishment.

Andrew and Caleb walked home in silence and they never spoke about what they saw. To Caleb it was like his father was in denial about what he had seen his leader, the person he chose to follow, do. Years later Caleb wondered if the reason why his father blocked it out was because his father felt weak and powerless to do anything to protect Tobias. No-one liked to dwell on their weaknesses and the consequences of them. Caleb knew that pain well.

The next day at school Caleb examined Tobias from afar. It was impossible to tell he had been hurt. He carried himself in a unobtrusive but solid way. It was like an anchored ship in the distance sea. Tobias was guarded, watchful and alert in his actions, always waiting for the tide to turn. Tobias then seemed to notice Caleb staring at him. Tobias gave a glare that forced Caleb to look away. In that glare, Tobias revealed he couldn't stand being pitied and so Caleb pretended he hadn't seen Tobias be beaten by his father.

* * *

><p>Caleb was always confident that Tobias wouldn't stay in Abnegation. He was dauntless through and through. The embodiment of it. He didn't understand why his own father thought it was a betrayal. Had he really forgotten what he saw? Did he expect Tobias to always put himself last? To be selfless to the end by accepting that he was Abnegation's whipping boy for the rest of his life? To put faction before his own blood, his own sanity even? It was a selfish act and therefore Tobias did not belong in Abnegation. Tobias had bravely broken free of Abnegation and of Marcus Eaton. All those in Abnegation knew that Marcus was shocked that Tobias had left him but Caleb knew Marcus was really shocked because Tobias had defied him openly. It was characteristically brave.<p>

Tobias was the first to break with Abnegation and Caleb was determined to follow. Caleb realised that evil was everywhere, in everyone, even in Abnegation where people were supposedly incorruptible – but Marcus Eaton, their leader, was proof that no-one was free of evil. All Caleb could be was who he was – an Erudite. He wanted to understand the world he was born into so that he could understand how to live in the world where there was no absolutes.

* * *

><p>When Caleb heard that Tobias had publicly beaten Marcus he couldn't blame him - even if Tobias had found satisfaction it because Tobias was human and like any human flawed.<p>

It was obvious Tobias had emotional scars from being raised by Marcus' firm hand and cruel words. Marcus had beaten Tobias more times than Tobias probably cared to remember. The level of pain that Tobias had inflicted was nowhere near what Marcus had put Tobias through as a defenseless child. Yet Beatrice still blamed Tobias for harming his father. She couldn't see the difference. Marcus beat Tobias for power and control but Tobias had done it because he had no choice if he was to step up to restore freedom in their world. Did the means ever justify the end?

Caleb could see that for Tobias, it was almost a selfless act. To publicly confront his fear for the sake of everyone's future. What if he failed? Lost his nerve at the last minute? Tobias would've lost everything. They would've lost everything. It was brave.

* * *

><p>There was the safe and known, life within the fence, and then there was the unknown, life beyond the fence. Beatrice and Tobias would destroy what was known. But that wasn't the reason why Caleb did what Jeanine Matthews wanted him to do. Caleb was an Erudite and with that he had a thirst for knowledge. He wanted to see outside the fence but he wasn't brave enough to go alone.<p>

Caleb knew that genetic modification failed to instigate universal peace and that they lived in a bubble where they were always being watched. The bubble was supposed to produce a solution to the old age problem of war. As such every citizen was under constant surveillance by an unknown authority. They would be destroyed if order wasn't regained, if they didn't live peacefully. Jeanine Matthews felt it was her responsibility to restore that order.

When Caleb was caught prying into Jeanine Matthews' business, he was threatened that if he didn't corporate with her plans all transfers would be classed at divergent and be executed. The only thing that would prevent that was to sacrifice his sister. A true divergent. At first Caleb couldn't think of it but he had to do it. It was the most single painful act that Caleb had ever done but it was the logical selfless thing to do. Beatrice would never forgive him and he would lose the only family he had left for the sake of the lives of others. It was wrong, it would destroy him but it was the lessor of two evils or at least he thought...

Caleb was raised in Abnegation. It shaped who he was.


End file.
